Reminiscing/Fight
A Jack x Ridley Fanfic

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Radiata Stories, its characters, places, events, anything, nor am I a part of Square Enix and/or tri-Ace.

"Alright, Jack." Gil of the Light Elves started, arms raised. "Keep focus on the light beam and only on the light beam. Be careful, and time your movements correctly," he said. Jack nodded, grinning.

He raised the Arbitrator up just as a flash of light sliced its way through the air and sped towards Jack. But the impact was stronger than he expected, and his timing and stance was ill. Jack was sent flying to the ground, the Arbitrator sinking a bit on the earth near him. He groaned, annoyed at himself for not being so prepared. "And I thought I had that down pat!"

"You remembered to keep focus, didn't you?"

"Yes." Jack propped himself up with the Arbitrator.

"Did you not hold back? Did you plant your feet firmly on the ground and tried to fight the beam with all your might?"

"Err..."

"Another mistake," Gil sighed. He once more prepared to fire a light beam at Jack. "Be on guard, Jack Russell." Once more, a beam of light shot from Gil's palms to Jack. This time, Jack planted his feet firmly on the ground and tried to push the ray away. His body didn't take it, but it had grown weaker after the initial struggle that it only managed to make Jack stagger backwards.

The Light Elf warrior smiled, satisfied. "That's better. Though you still failed."

"Hey! When I asked you to come help me train, I didn't tell you to criticize me and anything!" Jack protested.

Gil just shrugged and walked back to the fort. Jack sighed and stretched out his arms. Gil was strong, and he wanted to be stronger than the light elf was. He was on his way, yes, but it was hard and tough, not to mention a complete pain in the butt. Training was done for the day, and Jack smiled. He was free. Completely free.

"Sooo... What to do next?" he asked himself as he sat down on a pile of bricks and watched the birds fly. He didn't trouble himself to think of anything to do at all, and he resolved to just sit there until the sun set and the fort's cooks were done setting up the food. Jack let his thoughts fly freely. He thought about the war between the fairies and the humans. He thought about the folks at Radiata, about Leonard, Natalie, Larks, red-faced Ridley's father, Lord Chamberlain Jasne Colton, and the cocky Cross Ward of the Noire Mouton brigade.

Jack remembered well the day of Ridley's birthday party. He chuckled as the memory of Cross looking foolish in front of him and Ridley returned. Back then, Ridley seemed to be troubled. Very much troubled, and she seemed to want to really talk to him. But, he felt that it wasn't the right time, and so, Jack left, telling Ridley that if she wanted to talk to him, she could visit his place anytime she liked, which sounded so bad because she pushed her away in her time of need.

And then a few days later, Ridley knocked on Jack's door, just as he was preparing to go to the castle because of an emergency summons. She really did need to talk to him, and she poured her heart out - what she felt, her plans, and everything else, leaving Jack torn between two decisions. Of course, he was still quite a knight at heart, and he had taken into heart the one thing he could remember from the Knight's Charter:

Knights of the same brigade are as family.

He knew his choice was right, and he followed Ridley to the City of Flowers. He was determined to follow her, to protect her, no matter what. This determination of his was put to the test when Ridley was held "hostage" by the Light Elves, and what Jack had to do was to raid Fort Helencia alone and topple down the forces that upheld it. Alone. He barely managed it, but he did.

And so here he was, at Fort Helencia, training for when the humans would charge. He sighed contentedly. Perhaps it was worth leaving Radiata after all. It was all for Ridley, right?

"Jack."

Jack spun around and met Ridley's green-eyed gaze. She held her axe, gripped it tightly and carefully, and a smirk played on her lips. Jack shrugged and stood up. "Gil told me to train with you," said she.

He grinned. "Sure. Anything to prove to you that I still can be capable of being stronger, better and more famous than you."

Ridley just smiled.

"Oh, man!" Jack punched the soft, grassy earth. Humiliated again.

"So, Jack? Better? Stronger? More famous?" Ridley teased. Jack's face went red with embarassment. "I wasn't ready yet," he muttered. What he was actually worried about was that he just proved to Ridley that he was still quite weak, and that this might show Ridley that he really can't protect her when she needed protection. He sat down and frowned.

"Sorry, Ridley."

"Hmm? Why?"

"This just goes to show that I can't protect you," said he.

"Jack..." Ridley started. "That's not true."

She took Jack's hands and made him stand up. Then, she locked him into a tight, warm, comforting embrace. She wanted to reassure Jack that he could do what he came here for, that he was strong, that he wasn't weak and that he COULD protect Ridley. "Jack... You could. You could protect me. In the face of danger, you could protect me. I know it. I feel it. And however you perform in training, you're not facing real danger. I trust you. If you couldn't protect me, how come we're here? How come you took over the fort, Jack?"

Jack kept silent. Ridley did have a point. A good one, at that.

"Jack, I trust you. I know you could keep your word." She kept him in a tight embrace, as Jack's smile widened.